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Sedans Chevrolet Aveo Chevy Aveo Hatchback
1504 messages, Last post on Oct 07, 2008 at 10:01 AM
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After 3 years of ownership and 34,000 miles, I have traded my Aveo LT with automatic. It was purchased new and had every available option plus the Rostra cruise control (I believe this is the same unit that GM used on the 2006 models, and probably later year models as well), added after purchase since it was not an option on the 2005 model year. This car was primarily driven in the city,with the exception of one long road trip from South Carolina to Wyoming in the summer of 2007. I averaged 23-25 MPG in city driving (23 with the A/C in summer and 25 in the winter), and 30-31 MPG highway driving. I never got better than 31 MPG, even using 93 octane gas. I drive the speed limit, and consider myself a conservative driver. Observations: Afetr 6 months of ownership, the suspension began making creaking and groaning noises...a familiar compalint on this forum. Also, I had the problem with the clock resetting/losing the correct time until I had the cruise control installed. My suspicion is that there was an electrical grounding issue that was resolved when the battery was removed and reinstalled during the cruise control installation. After 22 months of ownership, the sunroof started "binding"and had to be replaced. Ten months later, the sunroof "tilt" feature ceased to operate correctly. The sunroof repair was done at the local Chevrolet/Cadillac dealer, so you would think they would have the appropriate expertise to do this type of repair correctly. The car interior developed several squeaks and rattles during my ownership, but it was "tight" and quiet for the first 6 months or so. I had to remove all 4 door panels and tighten the nuts holding the interior door handle "simulated carbon fiber" inserts in place after approximately 8 months of ownership. The front passenger side insert actually became detached from the door handle, forcing the "retightening" exercise. I don't believe the nuts were ever correctly tighened at the factory. As the car aged, I continuously discovered loose screws and nuts in various spots in the vehicle. I purchesed the Helm service manuals (the factory service manuals sold by Helm for GM) and performed the regular maintenance and service on this vehicle, and it was very easy to maintain mechanically. The oil filter was easily accessable,as was the oil pan drain plug. The engine was "oil tight", with no fluid leaks of any kind. I used synthetic oil and changed oil and filter every 5000 miles/6 months. No problems with the transmission or the air conditioning, lights, or anything electrical except the Radio/CD player. After approximately 1 year, the CD player started "skipping" at random, sometimes playing for hours correctly and then skipping so badly on the same identical CDs that you couldn't stand to listen to it. For the record, this happened on factory stamped CDs. Front tire wear was a big issue. I was well into my second set of tires (Goodyears) when I traded. I spoke with 2 different tire shops about this issue (both very reputable) and they echoed each other when describing the excessive front tire wear of the Aveo. It appears to be an issue with additional Chevrolet models as well. There was no unacceptable wear on the rear tires. I felt the engine horsepower was sufficient in city driving, but another 20-30 horsepower would have been much nicer on the highway, as anything more than a modest slope on the Interstate caused the transmission to constantly downshift/upshift at 65-70 MPH. The interior quality was good, and held up well during my ownership. The interior cloth was very easy to maintain and never developed any permanent stains. Conclusion: I had planned to keep this car for many years ,but I saw the writing on the wall. I suspect that the Aveo, on average, will perform adequately for 50,000-60,000 miles, and then begin to self destruct. I know it wasn't an expensive car, but still, any modern automobile with proper maintenance should make 100,000 miles without significant problems or unreasonable costs. For comparason, my daughter had a 1998 Chevy Metro when she was a teenager in high school/college (you can imagine the abuse it received), and it was as solid the day we sold it (approximately 70,000 miles when sold in 2004) as it was when it was new. Also, it never had and groans, squeaks or rattles. I have no doubt that the Aveo I owned will share this reliability.
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Replying to: slug (Dec 04, 2007 6:39 pm) |
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Replying to: busiris (Jan 17, 2008 10:30 pm) 
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Replying to: c118fe (Jan 18, 2008 6:11 am) I decided to purchase this car after much deliberation, since I had experienced many problems with the GM vehicles that I have owned over the years, especially build quality issues. Mechanically speaking, I think their products are OK, and they will get you where you want to go usually, but the cabin quality is, how shall I say this...SUCKS!. I also own a 2002 S-10 extended cab pickup with all available options, and it is an absolute rattle-trap. It is mechanically sound, and it gets me where I want to go, but inside the cabin it is "squeak and rattle" city. I decided to give GM one more chance with the Aveo, maybe because I wanted to buy "American", or maybe because it is built in Korea...but I now know that it didn't take GM very long to export its "quality control methodology" to its Korean subsidiary. I am sure that there are those who will say "Well, what do you expect in a $15 K car?", and there is some truth to that. However, I expect the options and features to work effectively through the expected service life of the car, which should be longer than the factory warranty. Also, the suspension system should not creak and moan constantly, which is a big complaint on the Aveo. For a suitable vehicle to compare the Aveo to, take a look at the Nissan Versa. It is priced slightly higher than a comparable Aveo, but the build quality is light years ahead of the Aveo. Also, you can get features such as the Bluetooth hands free phone system, which the Aveo doesn't offer. Or, how about the Toyota Corolla? My daughter has one she purchased in 2005. It has twice the miles on it than my Aveo had, and it has never been in for a single repair. It was priced slightly higher, had the very same options, more interior room and trunk space, and approximately 30 more horsepower. And, by the way, significantly better highway mileage and comparable city mileage. Don't tell me that GM couldn't do a better job on the Aveo...it was a concious decision to offer a substandard vehicle. After all, the Aveo isn't the Space Shuttle.... One last comment....this one about GM service. Maybe its just the dealerships that I dealt with, especially with the Aveo, but I always came away with the feeling that I was being treated like the red-headed step-child during a warranty repair visit. It was like I should thank them for doing me a favor by fixing my car. Of course, if you have to repair substandard vehicles on a daily basis, maybe you end up developing an uncaring and thankless attitude as a way of emotional and professional survival.... SO, I feel fairly confident that I have purchased the last GM product that I will ever own...There are simply too many other quality vehicles in the market for me to choose from. GM only has itself to blame for its market share losses...
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Replying to: busiris (Jan 18, 2008 7:50 pm) First mechanical problem that isnt covered by the warranty, or things start creaking, or I start getting all the problems I read in here, I am heading to Ford or Toyota. I love the roominess and the zippy way the car goes, I made it look like no other Aveo on the road, with accessories that it turns out are only meant for Canada or Europe! Thanks EBay! Bodyside mouldings, that turns out was not meant to be sold in America! I am the only one that has them. All the Aveos I see are covered in door dings. Add a wild graphics body kit, Painted the wheel covers with Fusion spray paint, and put on Daewoo ones,since it is a Daewoo car basically. Dark window tint and it looks hot! Replaced the logos on the hatch. When people with Aveos see it, they think it is from Canada, or shipped over from Europe! So far I have gone all of 2 months without a problem, now that I have said that, it will fall apart tomorrow! But after next year and the warranty is gone, I can get crappy mileage from a Ranger, and still get MORE than I get in this car! I like the roominess, the 'uniqueness', and the ease of driving it,and I see few on the road, everyone has the new sedan, but the mpg stinks, my tires are so bald I dont drive in the rain, I know they will blow out soon, at 6,500 miles! GM doesnt care. Calling them is a waste of time. But I will keep my car and sell it to the next sucker next year. LOW mileage and keep it looking so good will get me a great trade in and then screwed over by the next dealer. 
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Replying to: flaaveo (Jan 20, 2008 6:06 am)
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Replying to: poncho167 (Jan 20, 2008 6:37 am) They say it is because it is 100% city driving and I only drive like 3 miles a day, so it doesn't get heated up enough to run 'efficantlly'. When I do drive it for like an afternoon, running errands and drive up to 30 miles in one time. I can get a whopping 19mpg. If I time the rights right, drive like an old lady, take my foot off the gas when I see a red light ahead, and glide to a stop. And I always put it in neutral when I sit at a red light, it makes it run smoother and revs less and at a lower speed. But I filled up today, half a tank, $16.00....the Escalde next to me, with just 1 skinny tiny woman in it, thats a lot to haul around,...was still filling up at $55.98 when I drove away ! So........ |
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I have the 2-volume set of the shop manuals covering the 2005 Chevrolet Aveo for sale. They were purchased from Helm, the supplier for GM's shop manuals. Since the hatchback has not changed much since the 2004 model, I would expect these manuals would also apply significantly to the 2006-08 model years as well. If interested, make me an offer. The manual set cost $110.00 originally. You can reach me at aveomanual  live.com (a temporary hotmail account that I set up for this purpose).
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Replying to: flaaveo (Jan 16, 2008 10:08 pm) The WheelMan |
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A national magazine is doing a story about the new popularity of small cars and looking for people who downsized from a larger car to a Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Mini Cooper, or Chevy Aveo -- someone who never envisioned themselves driving a small car, but felt forced to go small by gas prices that have shot above $3 a gallon. Or maybe they went small to show they are doing their part to save the planet, or stop terrorism, or maybe all three. Please respond no later than Feb. 6 to Chintan Talati at ctalatiedmunds.com.
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